Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic is the loose adaptation of the Dante's Inferno video game that is loosely adapted from the classic poem by Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy. Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic is a conglomeration of the animation teams behind the hit animes Ghost in the Shell, Ergo Proxy, Blood the Last Vampire and Samurai Champloo.
This is not the first venture into anime by the video game publisher EA (Electronic Arts) as their previous hit game, Dead Space, was also given the animation treatment as a prequel story to the plot of the Dante's Inferno video game.
In Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic, as is with the Dante's Inferno video game, Dante is no longer a simple poet transversing the realms of Hell, but is now an ex-Crusader that battles through waves of demons and evil creatures in pursuit of his beloved Beatrice, who was kidnapped by Lucifer, whom she made a sinful pact with. Dante is also no longer a simple soul seeking salvation, but now has a violent and sinful past that touches upon each of the nine circles of Hell in an interesting and fresh way. Led through the depths and horrors of the Inferno by Virgil, a noble pagan poet, Dante races to confront Lucifer and save Beatrice before the unholy pact can be made.
The story opens with Dante riding through a dark forest on his way home from the Crusades, and upon arriving at his home he finds that his father and the servants have all been murdered, and his bedroom is caked in blood with Beatrice nowhere to be found. As he searches the grounds, he finds Beatrice laying dead. As Dante witnesses Beatrice's soul ascending to Heaven, the shadowy figure of Lucifer abducts her and drags her into the Inferno. Dante pursues the two on foot as his horse is pulled under the earth and slaughtered by demons.
He arrives at the massive gates of Hell which closes upon his approach. Locked out of the gates, he is met by Virgil, the noble pagan poet who was damned to Limbo because, though he lived a righteous and solemn life, was born before Christ and cannot be absolved. Virgil offers to help Dante as a guide and Dante summons up the strength to crash Hell's gate and leaps into the bowels of fire sin. Dante and Virgil board Charon, the enormous living boat that takes souls across the river Styx. Charon objects to a living mortal on board and summons demons to attack him. Dante steals a scythe from one of the demons, kills his attackers and ultimately Charon.
Dante then continues further into Hell, trekking relentlessly through the circles of Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger and the City of Dis, Heresy, Violence, Fraud and Treachery, fighting some demons while utilizing others, and confronting his own inner demons and his past sins through each of the 9 Rings.
CHARACTERS
Dante
In the anime adaptation of the video game adaptation of the classic poem, 'The Divine Comedy', Dante is a Crusader who arrives home to find his father, his servants and his beloved Beatrice murdered. Dante watches in horror as Lucifer abducts Beatrice's soul and pursues the two into the bowels of the Inferno. Dante is brash, and almost single-minded in his fanatic quest to save Beatrice from Lucifer, but it isn't until he meets Virgil that Dante realizes that he is not only confronting the sins and the demons of the Inferno, but he is facing the sins and demons of his own unholy actions during the Crusades. Dante is a capable fighter and almost superhuman deep within the Inferno. While he is horrified by the Inferno, he refuses to lose Beatrice a second time. Along his way he meets many of his former acquaintances and family from his life and offers to absolve a few of them of their sins through the use of a cross, given to him by Beatrice, that is believed to have one of the thorns of Christ's crown of thorns embedded within it.
Virgil
A noble poet who was damned to Limbo because he worshiped the 'false and lying gods' prior to the birth of Christ, however since he lived a just life the punishment in the Inferno is as mild as could be. Virgil is a guide sent from On High to aid Dante in his quest to find Beatrice. Virgil not only knows the depths of the Inferno well, but he is also known well enough by the inhabitants of the Inferno who grant Dante and him from one Circle of Hell into another. In contrast to Dante, Virgil is very indifferent to the events of the Inferno and acts as little more than a passive guide.
Beatrice
Dante's beloved, this beautiful woman made a pact with Lucifer to ensure Dante's safe return from the Crusade. Dante made several promises to Beatrice before his departure such as his loyalty towards her, and his promise to protect her brother, all of which Beatrice bet her own soul. If Dante remained faithful and pure, Lucifer would ensure his safety through the Crusades, but if he should sin Beatrice's soul would be Lucifer's bride and his opportunity back into Heaven.
Surprisingly, Beatrice is not necessarily a damsel in distress or captured princess in Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic, as she often puts up a struggle against Lucifer's advances; however, Lucifer is the ultimate sadist.
Lucifer
The fallen angel who rebelled against God, Lucifer abducts Beatrice and intends to make her pure soul his bride in order to ascend into Heaven and conquer all of God's Creation. Lucifer appears in Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic mostly as a shadowy figure, a black mist in a man's shape, as his true body is in the very lowest depth of the Inferno trapped in ice. Lucifer is overconfident and cruel. He actively enjoys taunting Dante as well as mentally and physically torturing the soul of Beatrice. Several times Lucifer will give Beatrice some hope that she can escape him, only to literally tear her ethereal body apart like a child tearing the legs off of a grasshopper, or to burn her alive, let her heal, and repeat. Lucifer has wedded other beautiful but sinful souls, such as Cleopatra and Helen of Troy, but he takes special sadistic interest in obtaining Beatrice.
I am almost ashamed to admit that Lucifer is the most interesting character in Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic, though Dante becomes increasingly absorbing the more you learn about his past transgressions during the Crusades. In comparison, Virgil and Beatrice are very two-dimensional characters. The character of Lucifer also borrows heavily from the classic text of Paradise Lost, in which Lucifer justifies his rebellion against God in simple concepts such as 'God created evil' and 'if (Dante) knew the true [two-faced] nature of God (he) would rebel, too'.
ANIMATION
The quality of animation in Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic is absolutely top-notch, though uneven and noncontinuous at times. The film is a compilation of 6 noted and well reputable animation directors under 4 separate animation studios. To better represent the concept, you can recall the compilation for the films The Animatrix and Batman Gotham Knight, though the different segments actually tell a full story instead of being a series of stand alone episodes. The result is a hybrid of amazing animation, separate visual styles, and differing character designs that all tell a grander story.
Film Roman - Directed by Victor Cook
The Arrival and the Entry into Hell (River Styx) segments were animated by American animation studio Film Roman and was directed by Victor Cook. I use ‘American' as a loose term because more than likely all animation was outsourced overseas. While the animation is not necessarily bad it does border on the quality of a high-end Saturday morning program. The animation style in the fight sequences is absolutely ABSURD in places, such as the fight between the horse-mounted Dante and a wolf, leopard, and a lion in which Dante has his horse ride up the side of a rock, and do a barrel roll as he kills the animals. The scene was cringe worthy and seriously made me question whether or not to keep watching.
However, Film Roman's work is the most accurate to the video game in terms of the individual character designs for Dante and Virgil.
Dante and Virgil at the Entry into the Inferno
Animated by Film Roman and Directed by Victor Cook.
Lucifer and Beatrice appear as apparitions; Lucifer being a smokey shade and Beatrice being an illuminated being. For the remainder of Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic, the general appearances of Lucifer and Beatrice remain somewhat unaltered from this model.
Lucifer abducting Beatrice at the Entry into the Inferno
Animated by Film Roman and Directed by Victor Cook.
Manglobe - Directed by Shuko Murase
The chapter of Limbo is headed by the animation studio Manglobe and is directed by famed director Shuko Murase, whose previous works include Witch Hunter Robin, Samurai Champloo, and Ergo Proxy. The animation quality takes a giant leap forward and apart from Film Roman, and the animation style turns drastically more Gothic and detailed. The atmosphere is dreary and horrific; the most notably the sequence is with the unbaptized babies, which is one of the films creepier moments. But nothing less should be expected of the man who worked on Ergo Proxy.
Dante is well animated though he looks more troubled and haunted in this segment than the rest of the story. Virgil's most noticeable change from the Film Roman version is that the crown of leaves on his head are visibly taking root under his skin.
Dante watches as King Minos is shredded on a spiked wheel.
Animated by Manglobe and Directed by Shuko Murase.
Virgil in the Hall of Noble Pagans
Animated by Manglobe and Directed by Shuko Murase.
Lucifer is less of a haze and a slightly more solid figure without any decorative marks. Beatrice is almost blindingly white and appears more fully clothed than in the other renderings.
Lucifer and Beatrice
Animated by Manglobe and Directed by Shuko Murase.
Dongwoo - Directed by Jong Sik Nam
The circles of Lust, Gluttony, Greed, and Anger are animated by Korean studio, Dongwoo Animation, and is directed by Jong Sik Nam, whose most notable work was his work in the animated feature 'Batman: Gotham Knights'. Here is when the art style of Dante's Inferno takes the most noticeable turn: Dante now has long hair, less armor, and is much more effeminate. Virgil now has a full head of hair that would intimidate a Dragonball Z character, and is also more feminine and thin. But do not let appearances deceive you because this portion is one of the best of the six because of the amount of detail in every frame. Dante's long hair and red sashes flutter in the wind and rain rolls of his cheeks, making it one of the most visually appealing segments.
Dante and Virgil in the Circle of Lust
Animated by Dongwoo and Directed by Jong Sik Nam.
Again the changes in the designs of Lucifer and Beatrice are minimal from the previous two studios.
Lucifer torturing Beatrice
Animated by Dongwoo and Directed by Jong Sik Nam.
JM Animation - Directed by Lee Seung-Gyu
The City of Dis and the Rings of Heretics and of Violence are animated by JM Animation and is directed by Lee Seung-Gyu. The animation is stunning throughout. The character designs are fantastically detailed and stylish, and the action in this segment is easily the best in the entire movie. It is also important to note that the backdrops in this segment is equally impressive because of the intricacies of the clouds and mountains in the distance, as well as the sheer number of layers that comprise a moving scene.
Dante and Virgil look more masculine in comparison to Dongwoo's version. Dante is more fully armored and muscular but he wears a red ribbon around his forehead and the top of his head is exposed. Virgil's design is almost the exact opposite of Dongwoo's Virgil, and now has a beard, scars across his cheeks, and appears the most human out of all of the different versions.
Dante and Virgil in the Circle of Violence
Animated by JM Animation and Directed by Lee Seung-Gyu.
Lucifer is still a black haze, but he is massive and also more muscular in his appearance. It is harder to see a distinct shape because of the multiple layers of animated smoke that twist and turn around him, but I do notice that this version of Lucifer now has horns.
Lucifer
Animated by JM Animation and Directed by Lee Seung-Gyu.
Much like Virgil, Beatrice's design is also more human than like a spirit. While still a radiant beauty, Beatrice is not physically blinding as her other forms. Instead of being draped with a white dress or being too bright to see the details of her body, the JM Animation version of Beatrice is visibly naked except for white arm and leg stockings.
Beatrice
Animated by JM Animation and Directed by Lee Seung-Gyu.
JM Animation - Directed by Kim Sangjin
JM Animation returns a second time to animate the Circle of Fraud and the marriage of Lucifer to Beatrice. This short segment of the Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic is directed by Kim Sangjin, and while not stylistically on par with the previous segment, despite being the same animation studio, it is still fantastically animated and well designed. However, like the previous segment, the amount of detail in the backgrounds creates a lush atmosphere.
Dante is thin again and now has red hair and more armor. Virgil has also reverted from his more manly and bearded design back to being a pale shade, though he now has yellow markings over his skin.
Dante and Virgil in the Circle of Fraud
Animated by JM Animation and Directed by Kim Sangjin.
Lucifer's design here is the most radical departure from the previous designs so far. While still a smokey shadow he doesn't have the translucency of his predecessors. In addition, this Lucifer can change his shape. Beatrice is now the Queen of Hell and during the wedding now wears a spiked red dress and has red markings over her face and skin. Her second form reflects closer to Lucifer's, though she appears as more of a fire elemental than a shadow.
Lucifer and Beatrice's unholy marriage in the Circle of Fraud
Animated by JM Animation and Directed by Kim Sangjin.
Production I.G. - Directed by Yasuomi Umetsu
At the film's climax in the bowels of the 9th Circle of the Inferno, Treachery, the animation is handed to fan-favorite Production I.G. whose work here is not their best, but still ranks as one of the best visual styles in the movie. Directing the climax is Yasuomi Umetsu, who worked as a key animator in the anime classic, Akira. The depth of the snow effects is eye candy and the bodies of the frozen is a disturbing touch. However, Production I.G. shines during the fight sequences between Dante and Lucifer, though I did notice that several frames of animation were re-used and used again in places.
In this version, Dante's design is very close to the video game source material, but is extremely beefy in comparison to all of the previous versions.
Dante combating Lucifer in the Circle of Traitors
Animated by Production I.G. and Directed by Yasuomi Umetsu.
Lucifer is depicted in two forms, the first of which is the classical "Three-faced Satan" of the classical Inferno lore, while the second is, in almost a video game cliche, the 'true form'. Lucifer is no longer a black wisp or shadow but a full flesh and blood demon with illuminated markings on his skin.
The true form of Lucifer in the frozen Circle of Traitors
Animated by Production I.G. and Directed by Yasuomi Umetsu.
SOUND
The voice acting in Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic is surprisingly good.
The voice acting for Dante is done by Graham McTavish, a professional actors as well as a voice actor. His voice acting resume includes video games like the protagonist of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Zoran Lazarevic, and also appearing as Dante in the video game of Dante's Inferno. He has acted in several major television shows, and he appeared in the last Rambo movie as the cocky and ill-tempered mercenary, Lewis. Graham McTavish brings an excellent voice to Dante, which ranges between outbursts of rage during battle, to horrific inquisitiveness, to humbleness and repentance.
The voice actor for Beatrice in the video game, Vanessa Branch, also returns to do the dubbing for the Animated Epic. Beatrice's voice is almost angelically soothing and helplessly sweet for the majority of the film, though there wasn't anything really notable or overly memorable about it. That is, until she is screaming in pain during Lucifer's tortures. It is then that her voice will send a chill down your spine because it brings an extra jolt of disturbing realism to her character.
Accomplished voice-actor Steve Blum provides the gravely, reverberating deep voice of Lucifer, who is by far my favorite voice actor in Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic. The voice of Lucifer is just what you would expect the Devil to sound like: deep, echoing, ferrel, hateful, and overconfident. When Lucifer delivers his monologues like 'Earth is another form of Hell, and man is its demons' your skin crawls.
Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars movies, voice actor for The Joker in the 1990's Batman: The Animated Series) provides the voice for Dante's abusive and sinful father, Alighiero. While I am a fan of Mark Hamill's voice acting I just don't think that his Joker voice fits well with the character of Dante's father, whom should have really had an older, booming and chastising voice rather than the voice of a snake-like sadistic psychopath.
Despite likely having Mark Hamill featured as a crowd drawing celebrity, the voices of Lucifer and Dante steal the show. My only wish was that Dante and Beatrice had Italian accents to coincide with the nationality of the original author of the Divine Comedy, but in the end I am still content.
LOGIC
There are a few things that I would like to nit pick out about the logic in Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic.
During his trek through the Inferno, Dante can absolve those whose punishments he sees as unwarranted (because 'a loving, all knowing God would understand the situation'), though this notion would be considered blasphemy in Medieval times, regardless of its compassionate intentions. According to Medieval dogma, only a priest appointed by the Roman Catholic Church could absolve a man of his sins, and anything else was blatant heresy. In fact, the notion that a single man's judgment can override the judgment of an infallible God's is still a blasphemous notion to many religions.
I could let this slide since such a brash act of compassion that goes against the dogma wasn't unusual for Dante Alighieri when he wrote his Divine Comedy, as he was prone to 'twist' the medieval dogmas as he saw justified. For example, medieval dogma said that, according to 'Original Sin' that spawned from the temptation of Adam and Eve, which no man is absolved from damnation unless he or she is baptized and repentant. This brought up the paradigm that all people who preceded the birth of Christ are automatically damned to Hell without any chance of repentance or baptism. Regardless of how good you were in life, you were damned to Hell just for being born too early. Such a paradigm holds true for the unbaptized children who were stillborn and unable to be given a chance at salvation. Hence, out of compassion, the original Dante created Limbo for the noble pagans who were born before Christ, as well as for the unbaptized children.
I found that the ability for Dante to absolve those who were damned under questionable circumstances as a prime example of how modern Christianity has evolved from the days of the black-and-white dogmas of the Medieval churches during which the original poem was written; however, it seems incredibly out of place for the time period, much like the referrals to mechanical clocks in the Shakespearean play 'Julius Caesar'.
The problem with taking such liberties within this anime is that it becomes a hypocrisy within itself. The underlying theme of Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic is that Dante believes that he was absolved of all of his sins, however, as the damned souls reveal, no man can absolve another man of his sins... which is exactly what Dante proceeds to do through the entire anime.
Digging deeper into this adaptation of Dante's Inferno is the common religious hypocrisy of 'a loving God sending people to Hell to be tortured for all eternity' is well addressed by Virgil, who simply implies in the anime: 'While God created the Inferno to house the wicked, Lucifer created the tortures because he hates Man for being placed above himself and the other angels in the eye of God, thus he rebelled.'
The final thing that really drives me off the deep end is a scene in Purgatory involving Dante meeting the soul of Saladin, the great Muslim Sultan and a prominent historical figure during the Crusades. Saladin died in 1193 AD, a full century after the birth of Christ. However, according to the rules of the Inferno, Purgatory only exists for those who died before their souls could be saved like the Noble Pagans, or for those who had no chance for salvation like the unbaptized babies. In essence no adult human being would be allowed into Purgatory, let alone a Muslim who lived 1000 years after the birth of Christ AND who fought in the Crusades. By all Inferno logic, Saladin would either dwell in one of two Circles: Heresy or Violence. However the idea of putting a devout Muslim figure in Christian Hell would unleash a fury that would pale in comparison to Hell itself so that would not be a good idea. I want to know why Saladin was even included in Dante's Inferno if the only alternatives were either 'be accurate to the rules of the Inferno and piss off an entire religion', or 'appease a religion for little reason and disobey the rules of the Inferno'. Why not just leave out Saladin all together to avoid a problem?
OVERALL
Puritans of the classic Dante's Inferno and the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri need only rent this animated adaptation so long as they have an open mind. Other wise it is likely that they will see Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic as an embellishment and adaptation of the classic poem that has been turned into little more than a super hero film where Dante becomes the muscle-bound action figure who dispatches his enemies using brute force. "Arnold Schwarzenegger in Hell".
Fans of the video game will likely enjoy this addition to the Dante's Inferno universe, and there are a few surprises that will keep the gamers interested. I have seen the cut scenes of the video game and I can already assure the fans of the video game that Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic has better dialogue than found in the game, notably during the final fight between Dante and Lucifer.
Fans of good animated features will not be let down by Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic. The six animation styles are individual, unique, and fascinating to watch even if some of the animation varies in quality. The voice acting is excellent in places while only fair in others, and the story a fascinating twist on the classic poem. However the writing is inconsistent within itself and for the Inferno to be so concrete and resolute in its punishments, there are too many exceptions made for the sake of the story in full.
While Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic is a very good feature as a whole, and while a very enjoyable popcorn movie, there is not a lot that would make me recommend this movie as a full purchase. The disk has very few additional features apart from the trailer for the Dante's Inferno video game. If it had come out in theaters I would wholeheartedly recommend it as a matinee, but as a direct to DVD and Blu-Ray feature I can only suggest that you rent it.
It actually took me a second to get what you were saying Kenny. A joke God
of War fanboy post like from your Dante's Inferno review. Very clever!
Kenny
20 Apr 2010, 09:50
How complete would a Dante's Inferno review of anything be without God of
War fanboys? XD
Dave
24 Apr 2010, 01:53
I have actually rented this film and I have my own opinions about it.
Firstly Dante's Inferno is a rental. I rarely purchase videos because
there are so few movies worth watching more than once and Dante's Inferno
is no exception. The DVD is derelict of extras of any kind so beyond the
movie there is nothing to explore in the menus such as commentaries or
bonus features.
Secondly although Dante's Inferno is a rental it is surprisingly good. The
animation quality is incredible in certain portions of this film and most
notably by the two animators who animate the circles of Gluttony and
Violence because of their attention to detail and their stylized action
sequences.
Thirdly Onoe's review sort of ruined the movie for me because of his
finding all of the flaws and hypocrisies in the story. It is a good
brainless action movie but if you pick apart movies I think that the bits
and bobs that Onoe found will cause the movie to leave a bitter
aftertaste.
Fourth and final is the story because it gave the characters a new and
interesting twist. There are purists who will hate Dante's Inferno because
it does not follow the book but to be honest why would you want it to
follow the book? Just think back to when you had to read Dante's Inferno
for a class and it was painfully hard to interpret and so horribly dull.
This anime even made some aspects of the source material better than the
book. For instance in the book if you are condemned to the circle of Greed
you are forced to forever dance in chains. Whereas in the anime you are
buried alive by mountains of gold, boiled in melting gold, and crushed by
golden gears. Which is the more horrific punishment? The action figure spin
made Dante's Inferno more accessible and more enjoyable to watch.
But that is my own opinion and we all know what opinions are like.
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Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic
